1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a carriage for carrying spools of wire and other elongate stock materials, for the purpose of dispensing the elongate materials. The carriage is employed wherever it is desired to dispense generally similar reeled materials, which may differ in certain aspects, such as dimensions, color, minor internal or external construction, and the like. A preferred application of the invention is in electrical construction, wherein an electrician may require many spools each having different types of electrical wires or cables. However, the invention is equally applicable to dispensing of ribbons, filaments, and other material in industrial, commercial, and other settings.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Construction electricians must typically have at hand many different types of electrical cables for completing a construction project. These types of cables may differ in many aspects. For example, different wire gauges are typically employed throughout a building. In large commercial, institutional, and industrial projects served by multiphase electrical supply systems, the various phases and neutral conductors are usually distinguished by color coding of the insulating jacket. Some applications require stranded conductors, while others require solid, single filament conductors. Therefore, a wide variety of electrical cables area typically required in each construction project.
It is preferred to work with spools of significant length of cable to avoid frequent depletion of a spool. Illustratively, many electricians prefer to work with spools containing 2,500 feet of cable. As wire gauge increases, the various spools become correspondingly heavy. It would be impractical to carry individual spools of wire from place to place within a construction site.
The prior art has proposed carriages adapted to carry spools of wire and to make dispensing easy and practical. An example is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,308, issued to Norman P. Tussing on Feb. 23, 1993, describes a wire cart adapted to store a plurality of wire spools. The cart has a plurality of vertical posts from which branches project laterally. The spools are supported on the branches. In the device of Tussing, the posts are fixed in position on the cart. By contrast, in the present invention, the posts rotate on the cart between a first position enabling easy loading of a spool onto a branch and a second position wherein wire is paid out in the same direction from which the spools are loaded. The supporting branches or rods of the present invention latch into place in the second position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,232, issued to John A. Lambert, Jr., on May 31, 1994, describes a wire dispensing cart which carries spools of wire. The spools are supported on fixed horizontal rods. By contrast, in the present invention, comparable rods rotate to the first position to enable easy loading of spools onto the rods. The rods in the present invention are then rotated into the second position, from which wire is paid out. The support rods latch into place in the second position.
A wire dispenser seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,285,981, issued to Steven M. Pavelka on Feb. 15, 1994, supports spools in one position. The device of Pavelka lacks ability to shift between first and second positions and to latch in one of the positions, as seen in the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,237, issued to Donald L. Torgrimson on Aug. 12, 1986, describes a two wheeled wire dispensing carriage wherein spools are supported between the two wheels, which are quite large. The rods supporting the spools are fixed in position generally parallel to the axle. Torgrimson""s device lacks the ability to shift between first and second positions, and to latch in one of the positions.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
The present invention provides a wire dispensing wheeled carriage which enables spools to be readily loaded onto supporting rods, and orients the spools so that they pay out in one common direction. The carriage has a wheeled frame having a handle, so that it is readily maneuvered through a building under construction. Three fixed or stationary posts project upwardly from the frame. Two spool supporting posts are disposed between each two adjacent fixed posts. The spool supporting posts have laterally projecting rods onto which spools are loaded. The spool supporting posts are rotatably mounted on the frame. The spool supporting posts rotate from the position in which spools are loaded to a second position wherein the rods latch to the fixed posts for stability. The second position is that wherein the posts have been rotated or displaced ninety degrees from the first position. Wire is paid out with the spool supporting posts in the second position.
This arrangement enables each rod to be loaded from the right or left side of the carriage. After the spool supporting posts are rotated and latched into the second position, wire can be paid out to the right or left side from many spools.
The frame has two upright stanchions at the right side and a two upright stanchions at the left side, for holding additional spools. Each stanchion terminates in a receptacle which removably receives a rod. A rod can be loaded with spools and placed so as to span two stanchions. The stanchions are lower in height than the location of the rods projecting from the spool supporting posts, so that all spools carried on the rods can pay out wire in the same direction as those of the spool supporting posts without interfering with the latter. The rods are stored beneath the frame when not in use as auxiliary supports for spools.
Accordingly, it is one object of the invention to provide rotatable posts which are loaded with spools in one position and which rotate to a second position displaced ninety degrees from the first position.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide wheels and handle to the wire dispenser, so that it functions as a cart.
An additional object of the invention is to provide auxiliary spool carrying apparatus on the wire dispenser.
It is a further object of the invention that the auxiliary spool carrying apparatus be readily assembled to and disassembled from the cart.
It is another object of the invention to provide a removable work bench resting on top of the frame upon which a worker may conduct secondary work activities relating to wire dispensing.
It is another object of the invention to provide a fixed horizontal work surface attached to the top of the frame above the rotating posts upon which a worker may conduct secondary work activities.
It is another object of the invention to provide a plurality of attachment points above the rotatable posts so that other work-related items can be attached as needed, such items being work surfaces, bins, drawers, inclined drafting tables, and the like.
A further object of the invention is that the rotating post also be removable so that an existing rotating post may be replaced with another type having a different spool carrying capability.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
It is one object of the invention to provide rotatable posts which are loaded with spools in one position and which rotate to a second position displaced ninety degrees from the first position and which can be releasably positioned at any angle of rotation therebetween.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.